“Mortdecai” seamlessly fuses action and comedy
into one exciting ride directed by David Koepp and action scenes were
choreographed by U.K.’s busiest stunt coordinators and second-unit action
directors, Rowley Irlam who also coordinated action sequences for blockbuster
movies such as “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Legend of Hercules,” “Thor: Dark
World,”” Captain Phillips,” “Prometheus” and “Skyfall,” for which he received a
SAG Award® for Outstanding Action Performance in a Motion Picture.

Charlie Mortdecai is a
connoisseur of good food, fine libations, beautiful women and the most elite
trappings of wealth. He also frequently finds himself entangled in matters of
an ambiguous legal nature. Asked by MI5, the British Security Service, to track
down a missing Goya painting, Charlie hopes to discharge his debts to “Queen
and country” by retrieving the purloined artwork.

“Actually, Charlie gets involved
in finding the Goya because he sees an opportunity to sell it,” Depp says. “His
aristocratic ways are intact, but his bank book is worn out and Charlie needs
to rectify that.”

Badly behaved, violently snobbish
and completely self-interested, Charlie was also endlessly appealing to the
actor. “He is a blatant narcissist who has no relationship with the truth,
except as he sees it,” says Depp. “What drew me to the character more than
anything was the challenge of making this guy, who is a little bit shady and
most definitely a con man, someone you can sympathize with.”

Although Mortdecai is a comedy,
it is packed with action sequences, as Jock, his faithful assistant (played by
Paul Bettany) constantly saves Charlie from outlandish mishaps. Irlam
coordinated a motorbike and sidecar careening through Moscow, an unforgettable
sword fight and a massive explosion sequence featuring virtually all of the key
cast members.

“We also shot a big car chase in
East London,” Irlam says. “There was lots of skidding around and we ended up
crashing into a boulevard. We cannoned the back end for that comedy finale.”

Irlam and director Koepp had a
specific strategy for the film’s action. “This movie is very much actor
driven,” he says. “I see it as bit of an homage to Buster Keaton and Charlie
Chaplin. My work was not just about stunts. It was about making the whole piece
quirky, interesting and different.”

One of the most challenging
stunt sequences for Irlam and his team was the complicated sword fight between
Mortdecai and Emil. Koepp, Depp and Irlam talked about finding the right
balance between realistic combat and Mortdecai’s notorious cowardice and
physical ineptitude. “Mortdecai is a blagger, so David and Johnny didn’t want
him to look supremely skilled,” says Irlam. “It was more about his desire to
avoid confrontation and run away.

“We had Johnny Depp and Jonny
Pasvolsky in for some rehearsals for sword fighting and wire work,” he
continues. “We showed them how it would play out with a stunt double first,
then they’d have a go and put their own twist on it.’”